National briefs

Police are searching for a Queensland Health official accused of embezzling $16 million, including $11 million in the past fortnight. Premier Anna Bligh said the alleged fraud by 36-year-old Hohepa Morehu-Barlow over the past two to three years could be the largest in the state’s public administration history. Mr Morehu-Barlow, who has a significant financial stake in two Libertine Parfumerie stores in Brisbane, allegedly forged the signature of his boss in the finance division of the Community Services Branch of Queensland Health. Police filed in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday to seize his luxury apartment in New Farm, several sports cars, art works and other cash assets totalling $11 million. Mark Ludlow

Hoong Kee Tang, a former director of Wintech Group, was fined $10,000 on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to market manipulation and making false statements to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Mr Tang used an online share trading account in his own name, and an alias, to engage in transactions in Wintech Group securities in 2009, creating the appearance of active trading in those securities. As a result of his convictions he will also be banned from managing a corporation for five years. Samantha Bowers

Victorian lawyer Jame Stanton Lewis, 55, was released without conviction on Wednesday after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting corporate offending. The former partner of law firm Lewis Holdway pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the offence by Stephen Lionel Moignard of managing companies while Mr Moignard was disqualified for insolvency. Mr Lewis was a director of the companies at the time. He was ordered to pay $233 in costs and entered into a two-year good behaviour bond. Samantha Bowers

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission on Friday settled a lawsuit brought against it by Westpoint founder
Norm Carey
and associated companies. Mr Carey was claiming damages for alleged misfeasance in public office and negligence over ASIC’s decisions in 2005 to commence winding up proceedings against two Westpoint mezzanine finance companies. As part of the settlement, Mr Carey withdrew all allegations against ASIC and its officers and he and companies associated with him will pay $75,000 towards ASIC’s legal costs in defending the claim. Samantha Bowers

The departure date for embarrassed University of Queensland vice-chancellor
Paul Greenfield
has been brought forward to December 16. Professor Greenfield, who is stepping down after his relative was given preferential admissions treatment to a medical degree, was due to leave in mid 2012. But he told staff he would leave earlier. Joanna Mather

Workers involved in another high- profile dispute at Brisbane’s Castlemaine Perkins brewery met on Friday with management and their union United Voice. Negotiations were said to progress well, but the union is still to decide whether to proceed with a two-day strike it threatened earlier in the week. Pip Freebairn